One fine afternoon
by Megumi Sagara
Summary: Sorata, Arashi and some cats...


This is my first X fanfic written in English. It is set somewhere after X14... Maybe it contains some OOC. Spoilers... well, a sentence from volume 14 and a bit of Arashi's past. I hope you like it.  
  
  
  
Thank you very much to:  
  
Maria Goldstein for editing this fanfic.  
  
Ayumi and Sephirot for suggesting names and instruct me on cats' food.  
  
Disclaimer: X and its characters belong to CLAMP; the cats are mine.  
  
  
  
ONE FINE AFTERNOON  
  
Sorata opened the kitchen door and listened carefully. He could hear the voices of his comrades in the dining-room, alternating with the occasional noise of cups and spoons, as the Seals were having tea after their lunch.  
  
*Perfect. This is the moment.*  
  
He closed the door and walked around the big wooden table in the direction of the back door. On his way, he caught a small plastic tray he had left on the counter and left the kitchen in silence.  
  
  
  
"Inuki!! Those biscuits are Sorata's!!"  
  
Silence filled the room after Yuzuriha's reprimand to Inuki.  
  
"It's true" said Karen, who that afternoon had been able to join the Dragons of Heaven for lunch. "Where's Sorata? He never misses tea."  
  
Five pairs of eyes stared at the Hidden Shrine Maiden, who covered her slight blush bringing the cup to her lips. Why was everybody looking at her?  
  
"Arashi, have you seen Sora?"  
  
The girl put the cup on the saucer, and looked at the others with her usual calmness.  
  
"He was in the kitchen when I brought the tea."  
  
Inuki took advantage of her mistress' distraction and caught the biscuit she had in her hand, the one that she had taken off him before.  
  
"Bad dog! What did I tell you?"  
  
Everybody was still staring at the young priestess, as if they were asking her to go and find the Kouya monk. Yuzuriha turned to the open door of the dining-room.  
  
"Do you think he is still washing the dishes? I can't hear anything."  
  
Arashi left her cup and her napkin on the small table and, with an exasperated sigh, stood up, her steps leading to the door.  
  
  
  
The Ise Maiden opened the kitchen door carefully. If Sorata was still there, she wanted to avoid one of his usual clownish scenes. She looked through a small gap. There was nobody near the sink and no noise was heard inside. She stepped into the room and looked around. Everything was in place, so he had finished his work, but... where was he? She walked to the back door and opened it. Maybe he had gone to throw the rubbish away... She looked to one side and the other of the garden, but there was no trace of the Seal. When she was going to go back, her eyes caught a glimpse of yellow between the trees. She remembered that the sweatshirt he was wearing during lunch was of that colour, so she closed the door behind her and went down the three steps that led to the garden. Arashi followed the coloured shadow, sometimes increasing her pace, to avoid losing sight of him. Where was he going? A small artificial pond appeared in front of her, and she paid special attention to step on the rocks that served as a bridge. When she lifted her head, she lost him. Cursing under her breath, she walked to where she had seen him for the last time. She was going to continue on her way when the trees and bushes cleared, leading to an open space. She soon stepped back and hid, to see without being seen. Sorata was in the clearing. He was sitting on a rock, and he had something in his hand.  
  
"Hello, Tai. Look what I've brought you..."  
  
She shifted her position so she could see who he was talking to.  
  
"Come on. Don't be shy today..."  
  
A cat appeared out of nowhere and rubbed against Sorata's leg, mewing with pleasure.  
  
"Hi!"  
  
Another mew, lower in tone, was heard. The cat next to Sorata turned and answered the call. He lifted his head to look at the newcomer and smiled. Arashi stretched her head to see further. Sorata extended his hand.  
  
"Hey! You brought company... Is she your girlfriend?"  
  
Arashi rolled her eyes. Only Sorata could speak to a cat in human terms.  
  
"Hello, little one."  
  
The other cat had approached the young man and was sniffing his hand. Sorata's smile broadened.  
  
"Hi, I'm Sorata... you can call me Sora if you like... nice to meet you, Tai's girlfriend."  
  
Arashi could not help the small smile that appeared on her lips. Sometimes, he could be really weird. No wonder people thought he was crazy.  
  
"Look what I brought you."  
  
He showed them the tray that contained some food. The cats smelled it carefully.  
  
"Don't turn your noses up at it, guys. Food from Imonoyama's house is really good, and I'm a great cook, so there's no excuse."  
  
He had brought them the leftovers. Arashi sighed. Well, it was time to go back to the house. She had spent too much time checking on Sorata, who was supposed to be in the kitchen. She was going to turn when she saw him straighten and look at the place in which she was hiding.  
  
"Miss?"  
  
She froze. How...? They could sense the presence of other magical entities but, the way he had recognized her... it frightened her. She stepped out of her place and he smiled.  
  
"I knew it was you..."  
  
The cats lifted their heads from the food and studied the human that was walking to them. Should they start running and hide? They looked at the other human, the one who was their friend and, not sensing any danger, stood in their place, following the movements of the newcomer.  
  
"I know I'm too attractive, but I never thought you would spy on me someday, Miss..." Sorata plastered his familiar silly grin. "But you know, Beautiful, you can watch me all you want without hiding..."  
  
She fought her indecision between ignoring his comment and smacking him on the head. She chose the first option and looked at the felines that were staring at her intently. Sorata's teary face turned to her, but soon his  
  
expression was replaced by one of curiosity when he saw the interesting exchange of gazes between the Maiden and Tai. Arashi had bent in front of the cat that was sitting with its head upright, staring at the other's eyes. But it was the younger one who broke the ice. It purred, and rubbed against Arashi's legs. She looked surprised at first, but when the small cat looked at her and mewed with pleasure, she relaxed a little and extended her hand cautiously. The little cat lapped at her fingertips and she smiled at the caress. It was nothing more than a mere curve of her lips, but it was a real smile. Sorata watched in amazement the lovely face of the Maiden. He had tried so hard to make her smile, and something as simple as a small cat's caress had achieved it.  
  
*I'd have brought her here before, if I had known...*  
  
"I didn't know there were cats in the Campus gardens..." she said after a while.  
  
Her voice was soft, very different from the one she normally used with him. Sorata stared at her for a second. Was she trying to start a conversation? He smiled at the idea of the priestess being sociable and friendly.  
  
"I found him a couple of weeks ago, ransacking the trash," he said while pointing at Tai. "The next day, I thought he had to be hungry, so I kept the food leftovers and tried to tempt him, but it was useless. He didn't show up. I left the tray here and when I came back some hours later, it had disappeared. So, from that day on, I brought some food for him. A few days ago, this little guy appeared when I was putting the tray, and we became friends. And today, he brought a friend..." he said caressing the bigger cat, that purred with pleasure.  
  
As he was speaking, an image flashed in Arashi's mind, a girl in the rain, watching the crows feed in the rotten food, deciding if life was worth living in that way...  
  
"Miss?"  
  
She blinked and tried to recall what he was saying. She sighed. She was sure that if she turned her head to him, she would see his tear-streaming face and a big 'You're ignoring me deliberately' written over his head. But when she did, she was not prepared for what she saw. His expression was serious, his eyes full of concern, staring at her, and that intense gaze disturbed her. She lowered her eyes, telling her heart to stop beating so strongly, and prayed that he did not see the colour she felt rising to her cheeks. Things that happened since the day they spoke in the computer room...  
  
*Are my feelings for you nothing but trouble to you? Am I still merely one of the Dragons of Heaven in your eyes?*  
  
Those words were embedded in her mind since that moment. It was as if they had awakened something inside her, and that something scared her.  
  
Sorata saw her being distracted again. What would she be thinking at that moment? It was impossible for him to read her expression as she caressed the cat's belly absentmindedly. And what should he do? Should he act as the carefree boy he was always, just to get any reaction from her, or should he, for once, be the responsible and serious youngster he kept hidden inside?  
  
A loud mewing took both of them out of their reverie. Sorata looked at his lap. Tai had jumped from the grass to his lap and was now sitting there, looking at him with its big golden eyes. Then, his eyes drifted to the plastic tray. It contained only half of the food.  
  
"So you finished your part, hmm?" he said, scratching gently the soft fur of the animal. He lowered the tone of his voice to a whisper. "Thanks boy, I owe you a big one."  
  
The other cat got up from the ground and approached the container. Arashi followed its movements as it began to eat. She stood, too, and went to sit on another rock near Sorata. Silence fell upon them again as they watched the two cats play after the smaller one finished its meal.  
  
  
  
"Are the others still having tea?" asked Sorata after a while.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"When I left they still were in the dining-room."  
  
"Good" he sighed. "I don't want that cannibal puppy of Yuzuriha coming here. Who knows what he would do if he saw the cats. We wouldn't be friends anymore."  
  
"I don't think Inuki would come here. He was rather happy stealing your biscuits from Yuzu's care."  
  
"That dog... he enjoys tormenting me, biting me, stealing my food... Oh, well... doesn't matter..."  
  
He produced two biscuits from his pocket and gave one to Arashi.  
  
"The little one likes you. You should be the one to feed her."  
  
The priestess took the candy and looked at it. It was shaped like a sitting cat.  
  
"And now, guys, the dessert..." said Sorata with his usual cheerful voice.  
  
His words attracted the cats' attention and they sniffed the sweets carefully.  
  
"I passed in front of a pet's shop this morning and bought them. I hope they like them."  
  
Tai was the first to take the candy from the priest's hand. The little one, seeing that, followed its action.  
  
"We should name the kitten, don't you think? It will be hard for her to see that Tai has a name while she's known as 'little one'."  
  
The Maiden looked at him puzzled. He could not be speaking seriously, could he?  
  
"You say it first."  
  
A name? Arashi looked at the female cat, laid on the grass eating the last remains of the sweet. An idea came to her head and the word was in her lips before she could hold it back.  
  
"Lynn."  
  
Sorata turned his head to the priestess.  
  
"Lynn?"  
  
Arashi lowered her head and bent to reach the little cat, that had finished the biscuit.  
  
"It was... the name of a doll I had when I was a child... my mother bought it for me on my fifth birthday..."  
  
She lifted her head to see his eyes gazing at her intently. She frowned and pressed her lips together.  
  
"If you don't like it, you can suggest the name."  
  
Sorata held up his hands.  
  
"No, it's not that. It's a cute name. It's just that... well... you don't talk too much, and the least with me, so hearing you speak about your childhood, and acting so natural around me is... like a dream come true."  
  
Arashi had turned her head in the opposite direction, not letting the monk see the emotions reflected on her face. She scolded herself for being so careless and for opening up to him. She was supposed to push him away from her, not encourage him.  
  
Sorata sighed and looked away, his gaze wandering around the clearing. He had upset her again. He tried to think of a funny remark, to return her to her usual mood. His eyes fell on the cats. Lynn and Tai were now running around the rocks where they were sitting, the smaller one trying to catch the other one's tail. After a whole minute, the kitten became tired, left the pursuit and went to sit at Arashi's feet. The bigger cat seemed relieved by the end of the play and lay on the grass a few meters away from Lynn. Maybe they could help him with his purpose.  
  
"Love is hard, Tai." The bigger cat looked at him curiously. "You have to be patient and let time pass. You'll probably suffer physical pain, but that's the proof that she loves you. See Miss here? She used to..."  
  
Arashi turned her head to him, her grey eyes warning him about not going further with his joke. He smiled playfully at her as the sentence 'It worked' appeared above his head, and noticed the trace of a faint blush on  
  
her cheeks. The priestess looked at Tai, who was watching Lynn as she played with a blade of grass. The hyperactive small cat turned to her male companion, went to his side, and fondled his neck with her head, purring with pleasure.  
  
  
  
A loud mewing was heard in the clearing. Lynn and Tai perked up their ears and listened carefully to the sounds of the garden. The call was heard again. Four pairs of eyes looked curiously at some bushes that moved suspiciously. A big cat with bluish black fur appeared at the other side of the clearing. It eyed the humans suspiciously, then repeated the call and disappeared as fast as it had shown itself.  
  
"I think the boss is calling you, guys" he turned to Arashi. "That's Miwa, the biggest cat I've ever seen in my life. I think it's sort of the leader of the gang... Maybe they have a meeting or something."  
  
Both cats ran to the point where the black cat had appeared. Before disappearing in the bushes, they turned to Sorata and Arashi. The monk, with a big smile on his face, waved at them, and the priestess curved her lips in an almost non-existent smile. They mewed and entered the bushes.  
  
  
  
"You are very good with animals... They like you..."  
  
They were still sitting on the rocks, enjoying the soft breeze that now and then caressed their faces and played with their hair, and the rays of sun that fell on them, warming their skin. Sorata's face changed into one of disgust.  
  
"An exception is Yuzu's inugami... if we consider him an animal, of course... he hates me... and I hate him... But yes... I suppose... There were some cats in Kouyasan and I always fed them with the leftovers, although some of the monks said they were a pest. I hope they are taking care of them now."  
  
He stood up from the rock where he was sitting and stretched out.  
  
"It's better if we go back to the house, or the others will start searching for us."  
  
Arashi nodded and got up, too. Slowly, they started their way back to the mansion in a companionable silence.  
  
"How many cats do you think there are in the campus?" said Arashi after some moments.  
  
"I don't know... I've only seen four" he counted with his hand, "Tai, the little one you named Lynn, Miwa and another one I saw only once and couldn't think of a name. But I think there are more..."  
  
The back door came into sight.  
  
"Will you..." Sorata looked down at her with interest. "Will you let me know when you go there tomorrow?" She gazed at him. "I would like to come with you."  
  
Sorata smiled.  
  
"Of course I will."  
  
A glint of mischief sparkled in his eyes.  
  
"So, my company is not that unpleasant for you after all."  
  
Arashi opened the back door of the kitchen and entered the house, Sorata behind her.  
  
"No, only when you say intelligent things and shut up the rest of the time."  
  
Tears streamed down his cheeks in cascade while he gazed at the priestess with puppy eyes. His words sounded in the garden before he closed the door.  
  
"Miss... why are you so cruel to me...?"  
  
**************************************************************************** **************** 


End file.
